[Solved] Draft Angle, parting surface

[Przemas]

Hi there,

first I have to admit I currently don't use 3d Coat in my workflow. But I think I can suggest a feature that would open a whole new group of users for 3d Coat .

In my workshop we've started using digital tools (mostly Rhino and Zbrush) to create scale models, sf/fantasy figures and other bits. So far we then 3d printed those designs and reproduced them in resin/white metal.

But to produce some of those in larger quantities there's only one viable option I know of - plastic injection moulding. It's a common process, most of the plastic items that surround us are made this way. This method requires cutting steel moulds during tooling phase.

The trick is that designs for injection moulding have to be done in a tricky way so they could eject the mould - steel mould can't flex so there's a need to avoid undercuts on the model.

It's realatively easy to avoid undercuts when you design a tech/hard surface item (gun, shield, phone case) - no matter you work in CAD (like Rhino / Solid Works etc) or in some more freeform software (3D Coat, Zbrush, Mudbox).

But it is insanely difficult to avoid those when working on organic items. Especially considering that usually software that allows creation of such items do not have tools needed to detect such tricky areas that need to be corrected.

It would be great if you could add features that would allow artist to make manufacturable models. A simple draft angle analysis would suffice.

Here's a sample I did in Rhino:

If you could make such analysis in 3D Coat that would be stunning. Especially if it has been displayed a tad better, allowing to tweak the undercut areas while in "analysis mode".

In fact only marking undercut areas would work more than nicely.

Also I'm sure that if you extend the features further (for example - parting line detection, creation of cores/cavities) that would make not only artist to buy 3d Coat but also toolmakers. Creation of complex cores/cavities is tricky , even if the model is manufacturable, so I'm sure they would welcome software that could ease the work as well. I'm also sure that even if you make such add-on a paid one there will be a nice market for it.

Well , anyways thx for reading this a tad long post . Drop me a line if you have any questions .